


a penny for your thoughts?

by phantasmicNarrator



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Earth C (Homestuck), Family Fluff, Introspection, Not Epilogue Compliant, Past Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-13
Updated: 2020-04-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 04:40:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23639203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantasmicNarrator/pseuds/phantasmicNarrator
Summary: Jake takes a small walk and lets himself think for a while.my piece done for theharlenglish zineon twt
Relationships: Jake English & Jade Harley
Kudos: 10





	a penny for your thoughts?

**Author's Note:**

> happy 4/13 !! just a little thing i wrote abt jake n his departed grandma :D

On the days that Jake ventures out into the forest outside of his house, when the sun is at its highest peak and the wind just cool enough to mimic a sea breeze, he lets himself think about his grandmother. 

He thinks about the few memories that he still has of her, the ones where he was still a little kid that struggled to keep up with her long strides as he followed her through the jungle, pushing up his glasses that were still a little too big for him with the palm of his hand. When he thinks about her, he remembers constantly looking up from behind, the way she seemed to tower over him and cast a cooling shade over him as she walked in front of him, guiding him by grabbing a hold of his chubby little hand in her weathered ones. She never liked him letting go of her hand, afraid he would get too distracted by the flora and catch the attention of one of the monsters that lurked on the island. By holding his hand, she made sure that he was always close by so if she needed to, she could pull him behind her while she pulled out her large rifle to scare off whatever beast that was attempting to make prey out of him. 

From what he remembers, nothing like that ever happened. The worst that ever happened was the time a fairybull popped out of nowhere and frightened the bejesus out of Jake, making him cling onto her skirt with tears streaming down his cheeks. He remembers hearing her gentle laugh when she turns to see the creature, remembers her bending down carefully to comfort him, wiping his tears away. Even when the fairybull came close, buzzing in curiosity and making Jake cry harder in fear, she was patient with him, pulling him off of her to show him that the creature hadn’t meant any harm, that this one was one of the sweet ones.

GRANDMA ENGLISH: not every creature is out to get you little one there are good creatures in the world 

GRANDMA ENGLISH: its just a matter of finding them :B

Now that Jake looks back on it, she had a lot of wise words to say. She was always patient with him, teaching him various things that he has long forgotten due to the passage of time, most likely trying her best to prepare him for when she would no longer be there. She was kind, she was strong, she was intelligent, she was…

Everything he ever wanted to be.

He thinks about Jade. She’s a lot like his grandmother, he’s noticed, something that he feels grateful for but also sad about when he thinks about it. Grateful because he can still find comfort in her whenever he seeks it, but sad because well, Jade’s still her own person! She grew up in a completely different setting compared to the one that his grandmother grew up in. Jade has her own experiences that shaped her into the person that she is today, she’s not a replacement for the guardian that he lost. To even try to consider her as a replacement would be to erase who she is, to block out the differences that make her Jade Harley instead of Jade English, the woman that raised Jake. Lucky for him, there are enough differences that set both of them apart.

For one, there’s a lighter atmosphere around Jade but one could chalk it up to Jade being young. Whenever his grandmother thought he wasn’t looking, a dark expression would fall over her, especially when she was going over her notes, eyebrows furrowed as if she was trying to figure out a really hard puzzle. Jade is the opposite, always bright and filled with life. If Jake is being honest, he’s not sure he’s ever seen her look grim or even serious. He could be wrong though. His memory isn’t as good as it used to be. Might be a result of a lot of blows to the head though.

Jade’s a lot more social. She drags Jake often to a lot of parties on Earth C, helping him choose his outfit for the night as well as what makeup to match it with. They head out together but usually part ways when they meet someone or a group of people to mingle with. Throughout the night, Jake will catch glimpses of her laughing and talking to multitudes of people, sparkling like a star under the kaleidoscope of colored lights in the crowd. Once the party draws to a close, they’ll find each other and lean on the other, tipsy and tuckered out from all the excitement, as they walk home. Oftentimes, if Jade passes out first, Jake will pick her up and carry her to his bed so she can sleep better before making his way back to the couch, not minding that his back will also be in horrible pain as well as his head. 

He can’t help but wonder a little if Jade thinks about him the same way. If she ever finds herself listing the similarities between him and the man that raised her. If she ever stops to look at him wistfully because he just happened to say or do something that reminds her of her grandfather. Sure, she’s told him quite a bit about him, about how he liked to collect paintings of blue ladies (that sounds a bit familiar), his love for guns and adventure, about all the weird dead things that littered the mansion, including her dead grandfather himself, but that isn’t really the same. Those are just things he liked, not things that said anything about him! Even now, those are just things Jake himself likes to put in his house, to stash away in various rooms and never look at them ever again. 

Hm. Well, that’s certainly a thought he just had right now. One to put into his pocket and never take out ever again. It’ll get washed away in the washing machine.

His phone vibrates in his pocket and he pulls it out, putting a hand over his eyes as he peers at the screen to see a message.

gardenGnostic [GG]  began pestering  golgothasTerror [GT] !

GG: hey jake !!! 

GT: Howdy maam! To what do i owe this honor to?

GG: hehe i wanted to ask you if youre busy today !!!

GG: i convinced june to go out with me on a stroll but we are thinking about having a picnic instead and inviting jane too!

GG: it has been a long time since we have all done something together after all !!

GT: A picnic huh? That sounds swell jade !

GT: As a matter of fact im not busy so im up for a picnic with all you lovely ladies hehe.

GT: What time should we get together? 

GT: Oh er should i bring something to contribute?

GG: we are getting together in new prospits park at two !!

GG: also you dont have to if you dont have anything!! we are already thinking of making some sandwiches to bring and some fruit 

GG: jane might bring some sweets if she agrees to come knowing her :p

GT: Oh im sure she will. Gosh almost every choice is taken.

GT: Oh i know! I could bring something to quench our thirst! Do you know if june is fond of wine or would that be too inappropriate for a picnic?

GG: hmmm it does seem a little too much to be drinking wine in the middle of the afternoon…

GG: i think it would be safer if you just brought some water instead :D

GG: plus i do not think jane would be too happy seeing us drink early in the afternoon >.>;;;

GT: Oh haha thats very true!

GT: Very well! Water it is then! I better hurry on home and get my things ready for the picnic.

GG: okay !! be safe ill see you when you get here!!

GT: Wait before you go jade!!

GT: Erm i just wanted to say..

GT: Thank you i suppose.

GT: And that i love you very much!

GG: aw i love you too jake!!! but why are you thanking me :o ???

GT: Oh well no reason in particular. 

GT: Just thank you for spending time with me and everything that you do i guess!

GT: I dunno ive had a lot on my mind today i guess haha!

GG: hm i think i understand 

GG: but i guess you are welcome?? hehe

GG: ill see you later dork :p

GT: See you later !!

gardenGnostic [GG] ceased pestering golgothasTerror [GT] !

He tucks his phone back in his pocket and straightens up as he looks over the cliff he had settled down on to take a break from his hike. He’s surrounded by a lush forest of vividly different colored trees, all odd shades of green. It’s a lot more different than the jungle home that he had grown accustomed to but it’s similar enough to provide comfort when he feels homesick. He wonders if his grandmother could see him now if she would be proud of the world that he helped bring to fruition. Would she have wanted to live in a place like this? Or would she rejoin society now that she wasn’t under the threat of the Batterwitch? 

He wonders.

Would she be proud of the person that he has grown to be?

He lets the question linger in the air for a moment before waving it away, turning on his heel to make his way back home. It feels too heavy a question for him to answer.

Well, it’s not even his to answer after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> find me at [@dilfjake](https://twitter.com/dilfjake)


End file.
